The advent of the World Wide Web offers new opportunities for people to share information, opinions, and experiences on virtually any topic. With the support of web-based systems and methodologies, people with common goals and interests can interact and communicate instantaneously from anywhere on the globe. For example, people can use a computer dating web site to search for a compatible mate. A person can create an account on the web site and enter personal information which is stored in a user profile in a database. The database contains profiles of other persons who use the web site. A person can search for a compatible mate by entering information on characteristics they seek in their mate. The web site can process the search criteria and return a list of matching profiles. The person can then obtain further information and contact a potential mate.
Many web sites exist to serve a particular group of people who share common goals or attributes. For example, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0187683 describes a system for establishing weight control programs. The system allows persons to enter, update, and monitor their weight, and permits users to share recipes and establish meal plans. U.S. Pat. No. 7,029,441 describes a system for comparing non-human animal subjects by animal breed or genetic disposition. For example, laboratory test results for a non-human animal subject can be compared with genetic data for the group.
The existing art includes examples of systems for monitoring patient information to assist in providing medial care. U.S. Pat. No. 6,956,572 describes a system for monitoring patients for critical care. The system includes sliders for setting maximum and minimum thresholds for a particular medical parameter for a patient and the current value for the parameter. This allows the medical staff to quickly determine whether or not a patient's condition is normal. Another example, the LifeLines software from the University of Maryland Human-Computer Interaction Lab of College Park, Md., is a system for visualizing medical history records, which allows medical personnel to examine medical history records in detail. The system includes visual tools such as timelines and icons to denote past events in the medical history.